Part 57: Chance Meetings and Partings

BGM: Impatience


06/15 (FRI), Midnight
More frightened by the prospect of what will happen if I ignore her, I decide to let her in. I wouldn't be surprised if she busted the door down if I hadn't.



Not a bad little cafe you got here.

She seems far more bulky up close than when I saw her at Shigetsugu's house. The extent to which she stands out in a cafe like this doesn't help. Judging by how she hasn't assaulted me yet, I can only assume that she's got other business here. It'd only take a matter of seconds for her to render me helpless at this distance. That is the one silver lining here.

Sorry, kid. Is this your bedtime?

...No.

Heh. Been near two weeks since we saw each other in the real world. How you been?

Why are you here?



Ahh, c'mon. Why's everyone gotta be so vigilant around me? At least that Miharu girl is a bit more friendly.

Miharu...? Did you do something to her...?

Her having taken Miharu hostage is the first thing that pops into my head. That can't be it, though. We fooled everyone into thinking we'd had a falling out with our little exchange in the Court of Fate.

Ah-ha. Guess you two are still buddies, after all. Doesn't seem like you know what she's been up to judging by your reaction, though? Can't blame you. Most people would be crushed if their underclassman friend died. You don't look like a broken person, though. I'll assume you've gotten over it.

Alan said she's the type of person to reach conclusions through situational evidence. He was dead on. She was able to snatch the answers from me just by talking and then judging my reactions. It doesn't help that I'm feeling pressured by her. Sitting upright in situations like this one makes one seem more confident. That's what my gran always used to say.

BGM: Silence


I'll ask one more time. Did you do something to Miharu?

That's the spirit. I ain't interested in talking to people who're shakin' in their boots. Lemme ask you, then. Do you think that gal's weak enough to let such a thing happen?

Not at all. She's far stronger and resolute than I could ever be.

Oh-ho... Good answer, kid.

BGM: Odette
I'm Odette Malencon. Here's hoping that admission's enough to ease the tension.

That said, my card book begins to glow. Eventually, the light takes the form of her name card.

Why would you...?



I'm only here to talk things out with you. Giving you my name doesn't put me at any disadvantage. Besides, I can tell you don't have any of my cards yet based on how frightened you were before. That being the case, giving you my name seems like a good way to establish some trust, yeah?

I don't plan on telling you mine.

No need to worry about that, Shishimai Rinka. Though you probably figured I knew it by now, considering I found this place.

It's just as she says. In fact, it'd be odd for someone not to find out my name along with Lion House.

Well, it's clear that you're not here to raid this place like you did Shigetsugu's home.

Hey, that's what I've been trying to say all along. Hmm.. Lemme put it like this.



I'm here to help you.

Here to help me? I'm sorry, but jokes don't suit you.

No need to be so reserved. You might wanna eliminate Yu, but right now you don't have the means. Lemme explain from the top. Mind getting me some coffee?

Odette takes a seat at one of the tables without giving me so much as a glance. I don't think I've got any option, so I make some for both of us.

…...

BGM: Lion House Cafe


Oh, man. Tastes pretty damn good. You're workin' pretty hard despite your age, huh? That's what I like to see.

She stands and stretches after tasting her coffee. She strikes me as the type who would voraciously devour meat and chug down any sort of alcohol, but to my surprise, she is able to discern the type of beans and roasting method I use. After that, we discuss things while drinking our coffee.

The first thing she tells me is regarding Yu. He's part of a terrorist organization in Japan and was originally meant to carry out an attack on the Yamanote line. That just so happened to be the attack Naomi and myself got caught up in. They don't seem to be aware of my cause of death, though. Next up is Miharu. Not only has she met with Odette, but she's even formed an alliance with her, Federico, and Numeral IX, whose name seems to be Scale. Their ultimate objective is to eliminate Alan. I'm not quite sure if he's an inherently bad person after having spoken to him personally, but his status as a major player in Divine Selection can't be denied. But what surprises me most is learning that Miharu has convinced them to target Yu first. Her goal is the same as mine, then. She wants to save Naomi.



It's hard not to tie what happened at Amecha to Divine Selection, all things considered. Not only is Yu the culprit, but it's a school both myself and Miharu attend. I'm the only one who knows that Yu's doing this to make me elect him, but they interpreted it as his attempt to provoke the other participants.

BGM: Intel Investigation Underway


So Miharu's cooperating with you...

The whole reason Scale approached Miharu was because of your supposed falling out. While it wasn't enough to fool me, it was a solid plan. Both him and that dumbass Federico ate it up.

None of that explains why she's here, though. In fact, it makes even less sense now that I know they're cooperating.

It ain't just Alan they'll be targeting once Yu's gone. All three of 'em are gonna come right after me.

Miharu wouldn't do...

I was going to say she wouldn't deceive someone like that, but I couldn't finish the sentence. Miharu's strength of will is rock solid. She wouldn't betray someone soley for her own gain, though. Which means it's either for Naomi's sake... or mine. That much is easy to figure out.



Chances are she's already aware that I've figured them out. Like I said though, they probably won't go after me until they've both eliminated Yu and gotten close enough to gathering all of Alan's cards. No way that lot would underestimate what I'm capable of, after all.

The sheer confidence she has in herself isn't something I'd ever dispute. It's not my place to make this comparison, but she's probably the only person who can compare to Alan out of all the participants, assuming we judge purely on strength of character. None of what she's said thus far explains why she came to see me, though.

Squaring off with them after we eliminate Yu's just a bit too predictable, though. I wanna get more of a thrill out of it.

How does your excitement fit into all of this?

Think about it. Life's all about the thrill and excitement, ain't it? You'd be better off dead if it weren't.

I don't quite get where you're coming from...

Heh. I ain't worried about whether or not you get it. Anyway. If things are gonna go down, then you can be damn sure I'll be the one double-crossing them.

A bold smile accompanies her proclamation.



Would you mind explaining what you meant about helping me?

Just like it sounds, kid. You wanna eliminate Yu so that your underclassman's death gets undone, but you don't got the means to do so. Dunno why you'd get this bothered over one insignificant life, but...

BGM: Silence


How dare you! Naomi's life isn't insignificant to me!

I've messed up by saying that... I don't regret it, though. I won't let anone get away with saying that about Naomi. I don't even bother to say anything else after that, I just glare at her.

BGM: Intel Investigation Underway
Whew, attagirl. I was ready to shove off if you let me get away with that. Keep up the attitude while you're at it. I ain't one for polite chit-chat.

Were you testing me?

Yep. Got a problem? I said I was here to help you, but I ain't one to offer my services for free. That's why I tested you, to see if it's even worth presenting you with the choice. That kid and the remnants of NULL's Japan branch are planning another attack tomorrow. They wanna have things end with a bang, which is why they're targeting Tokyo Tower.

No way...!

They've already put the plan into motion. I've heard talks of suspicious trades involving gas and ammonium nitrate, which just so happen to be what's needed to make bombs.



Ammonium nitrate's generally used for fertilizers, but only pros are allowed to handle it. Even if they plan things out well, they can't cover their tracks completely. I'm not quite sure how it works, but it seems like a thermite reaction is caused by the iron oxide and aluminum powder packed into the bombs. Not only will the blast be powerful, it'll also spread fire everywhere. Firebombs, basically. Probably the same type that Yu used when he blew up the train, as well as Amecha.

Chances are they're gonna go wild, considering the circumstances. Who knows how many people'll die if Tokyo Tower blows up on a weekend. Even worse, Yu won't die since he's a participant. Perpetrators usually die alongside everyone else, but he'll live on and keep pulling crap like that.

We can't let that happen... We have to stop them...!

You're a kind sort, huh? Thing is, I don't really give a damn about how many people die.

The sheer disgust I feel over that admission causes me to glare at her again. She raises her finger and thrusts it in front of my mouth before I can say anything, though.



But! On the other hand, stopping some pansy terrorists ain't no thing for me.

The fact that she can make a statement like that sound believable is part of what makes her so impressive.

Aren't we better off letting the police deal with this...?

Only people like us are aware of the whole thing. Ain't no outlaw who wants to get themselves involved with the police. What's more, they'd only benefit from it in the end. All those features and news articles are gonna turn into hard cash.



Most importantly, there's a kid involved who can go about blowing himself up while random coincidences somehow keep him alive. The police would get a pretty bad reputation from that.

She's probably right. There's no way anyone would swallow the idea that he can't die because he's a participant in Divine Selection. They're just as likely to have more than just bombs at their disposal, so who knows how many casualties would result.

Considering I've got Scale, Federico, and kinda-sorta Miharu gunning for me, I'd rather get this done and dusted quick. You don't need me to explain the rest, do you?

...Go ahead.

I'll stop the terrorists and give you an opportunity to make contact with Yu. The old fart let you in his home, and I know you spoke to Yu after his elimination. You should be able to make him spill his regret.



Eliminate him and save both your underclassman and the masses.

BGM: Impatience
Just don't forget that we're making a deal. I want your cards in exchange. Both your cause of death and regret. I want them the moment you get Yu's info, too. In other words, both you and him get eliminated during the same election. I guarantee it won't affect your dead friend, either. She'll be safe, even after your elimination.

Fate will run its original course with both myself and Yu eliminated. It makes sense. My elimination would result in Naomi witnessing my death. That's how things went originally. Odette probably doesn't know that much, but her words hit hard.

So what'll it be? Get with me and guarantee that you'll save your friend's life, or try to pull through on your own?

As for me...